Founded in 1902, the First Baptist Church has attracted hundreds of families in Spring Valley and beyond. Many of congregants have been members of the church for decades. On Sunday, five congregants were called out to mark their 50 years of membership.

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Cherella Smith, 28, of Haverstraw watches the procession with her 10-month-old daughter Jaiyla Brown and her son Jahsi Brown, 4, during the 115th anniversary celebration at First Baptist Church in Spring Valley Nov. 19, 2017.(Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

Willie Allen of Spring Valley, a trustee of the church, surpassed the milestone some years ago. Allen, now 70, said he has been attending the church since he was six years old. He was almost always with the church, except for a few years when he was a teenager and a few years when he lived in California, he said.

"This is my family," Allen said. "I always have the family to come back."

To continue the tradition going, Bessie Walker, another longtime member, has been volunteering her time, serving as the church's superintendent of Sunday school and director of christian education.

Walker and her fellow members have recently put together a collection of newspaper clips and photos to make it the church's history museum so that children can learn about their church community.

"Our children don't know the history," Walker said. "We're teaching them about where we came from."

The Rev. James Ellis, pastor of Rocky Mountain Baptist Church in Manhattan, who attended the celebration to convey his anniversary message, also emphasized the importance of learning, particularly learning from the Bible.

"The more we get the word of God, the more we become like Christ," Ellis exclaimed from the altar. "The more we know how to treat out neighbors right, the more we know how to treat our brothers and sisters right."